1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. More particularly, the invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program for displaying pictures more effectively than before.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years have witnessed the widespread use of digital still cameras that take pictures (i.e., photographs) using semiconductor devices such as CCD (charge coupled devices) or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor). In many cases, picture files (i.e., picture data) acquired by such digital still cameras having taken pictures are written to information processing apparatus such as personal computers for management purposes.
The information processing apparatus allows pictures to be displayed or edited based on the picture files brought in from the digital still camera. Generally, the picture files imported from the digital camera into the information processing apparatus are written to folders that are created per photographer, per event, or by photographed date and time for storage. The user of the apparatus may get pictures displayed one after another from the picture files kept in each folder or may get a lineup of the pictures displayed for enjoyment.
In the past, some information processing apparatus allowed the pictures in recorded picture files to be sorted into predetermined categories. When a button for designating a certain category was selected, a lineup of the pictures placed under the designated category was displayed (as disclosed illustratively in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-33711). With this type of information processing apparatus, it was possible to drag and drop a desired picture onto a category-designating button so as to classify that picture into the category indicated by the button.